Exploring our new home

Our dreams of sleeping in were shattered with the news that we had orientation at nine this morning. We found ourselves listening to Milva, the advisor for our program, as she explained how classes were to work. We had an official from the U.S. Consulate talk to us about safety and Florence itself. Professor Renzzi, our guide and friend up to this point, said his good byes. He would not return until the end of the program this spring.

I began to walk through the city, trying to get a feel for where things were located. My family has a notion, which I hold stake in as well, that I have absolutely no sense of direction despite my training as an eagle scout. What I came to realize on this trip was that although I do have a poor sense of direction, other people in my group, had a sense of direction entirely worse than my own. So as the blind lead the blind we stumbled upon a number of landmarks, the most beautiful of which was the central Duomo of Florence.

After a long day of walking, we sat down for dinner and enjoyed a four course offering of breads, pastas, meats, and deserts.

With dinner concluded, the gentlemen and I set out for after dinner drinks at a local watering hole. I felt this was important not for the consumption of liquor, but for the acquiring of valuable Italian vocabulary such as the words for glass, ice, and whisky.

With our intellectual appetites satisfied, we returned to our apartments.